Oktoberfest vs State Fair

Last night me and a friend of mine (Achim) went to Oktoberfest. As we entered the grounds, I was struck by just how similar this was to the Texas or Missouri State Fairs. It looked, smelled and felt like I was entering the fairgrounds in Dallas, Texas or Sedalia, Missouri. They had a midway, food booths, carnival games, livestock– everything you would expect at a run of the mill State Fair (except no Big Tex). Really the only difference was the enormous tents containing the beer halls. We entered at the midway and immediately got on a large Ferris wheel. This was great because it allowed me to take some pictures while it was light outside.





On the right side of the Ferris wheel was the midway rides.

On the left side was the fair exhibits (e.g. items like tractors for sale, livestock, etc.).

In front of the wheel was the main avenue of Oktoberfest with two of the main beer halls – Löwenbräu and Paulaner.







All the large buildings with the white roofs are different beer halls.



We got off the Farris wheel and started walking around the grounds. I am told that we came on a great night because it was not nearly as busy as it is most other nights (something about it being kids night). We were actually able to walk through the grounds without much trouble. In fact, when we got to the beer tent my friend Achim was very surprised that the doors to the tents were open. Normally they are so packed that the operators close the doors and do not allow anyone in. Despite the fact that we could get in, we could not find a place to sit down. Below are several pictures from inside the Löwenbräu tent. People were packed in, standing on tables and having a great time.







The next pictures are from the Paulaner tent. Notice that once everything is filled up inside the tent people start filling up the outdoor section.







The video below is from inside the Paulaner tent. It is hard to hear, but the crowd is dancing and singing the song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”

This reminds me, something I found very interesting was that every song I heard at Oktoberfest (other than a few old-style Bavarian songs) were American pop songs. All the recorded music playing at the midway and through the grounds were songs you would hear on US radio stations (e.g. Kid Rock – “All Summer Long”, Plain White T’s – “Hey There Delilah”, Rihanna – “Take a Bow”, Metro Station – “Shake It”, and even George Michael’s 1980s hit – “Faith”). I guess even Oktoberfest can not escape the American musical influence.

Below is a picture of a beer hall lady carrying out the next round and a video of one of the male waiters filling up for the next load.

Achim told me that the waiters actually buy each beer they take. In other words, they buy the beer for around 7 Euro (just a guess) and sell it for the standard price of between 8 and 9 Euro. Apparently, under German law, this helps shield the tent owners (the beer company) from liability. What an amazing idea! This means that each time a waiter fills up, the number of beers must be tracked and paid for at the end of the night. The waiters keep all the money they received from customers. From the amount of beer I saw consumed, I would guess they make a good profit from one nights work.

Back outside again and we run into one of the many giant pretzel stands. Pretzels are a staple food in Munich. They have pretzels at nearly every meal.




I have no idea what the next picture is, but it is some huge, old statue that is located inside the Oktoberfest grounds. Kind of cool.



Below are a couple pictures of a very popular item at Oktoberfest. They are cookie/cake hearts that have various saying on them. They are worn like a necklace. I bet 1 out of every 8 women had one of these things. Achim said they say things like, “you are my best wife.” I was thinking -- you get more than one wife? I am sure it was lost in translation.





The next pictures are of a couple of the other beer halls, including Hofbräu Festzelt (HB), the most famous of the Munich breweries.









We found a spot outside Hofbräu and had a drink. The first picture is, of course, me. The second is my friend Achim. The third and fourth are of people that have had a few more drinks then Achim or me.









I only had one beer and that was enough. It was big and (I hear) is significantly stronger then normal beer. Given that I am such a lightweight anyway, one was enough for me. Apparently this beer is specially brewed for Oktoberfest and can not be purchased at any other time of the year.

The final video is of some crazy musical that has been put on since 1896 at Oktoberfest. I have no idea what it is about.

Oktoberfest was a fun experience and I am glad I went. However, I am not sure I would make a huge effort to go back. If you live in the US and are considering shelling out the money to go to Oktoberfest – my advice is to hit 7-Eleven, buy a bunch of Löwenbräu and go to your local State Fair. It is about the same experience and you will save yourself $3,000 or $4,000.

You can send me a portion of your savings as a thank you.